
moonspinner55
Joined Jan 2001
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Faded action star in 1969 Hollywood, talking with a bit of a nervous twitch after being told by a powerful agent that his recent guest-star work on television is ruining his career, is chauffeured to jobs by his stunt-double after his license is suspended for drunk-driving accidents; meanwhile, his pal has just picked up a comely teenage hippie who lives down in Chatsworth at the old Spahn Movie Ranch with a guru named Charlie. Milieu-heavy flashback from writer-director Quentin Tarantino is mostly all atmosphere; while this can be a lot of fun to absorb, the central characters generally fail to take shape. Despite several dialogue-driven scenes that appear to point the way towards a deeper-feeling film, "Hollywood" doesn't have many layers underneath its flash and sass. The soundtrack choices are spot-on, per the usual in a Tarantino endeavor, and Brad Pitt does some nicely understated work when he's not being shot like the ultimate object of masculinity standing on a rooftop or sitting behind the wheel of his boss's 1966 Coupe De Ville. **1/2 from ****
Tom Selleck as a celebrated divorce attorney (and guest speaker at law school) in Seattle who finds himself on the brink of divorce from unfulfilled wife Jane Curtin. Intentionally over-the-top subplot with an alternate divorcing couple (a buffoonish husband and his vengeful wife)--also Curtin's chattering, bitter-feminist girlfriends--is meant to lighten the load from the battling co-stars, but very little in director and co-writer Donald Wrye's teleplay rings true. ABC-TV drama looks terrific as photographed by Tak Fujimoto, and it has a solid supporting cast including Mimi Rogers (in her debut as a seductive law student who comes to class with her blouse unbuttoned) and Joan Bennett (in her final acting role as Curtin's new stepmother). As for Selleck, keeping his face tense and his brow furrowed, he's not well-directed (and he keeps fiddling with his neckties), but he's not embarrassing. Selleck's light voice (perfect for comedies) and Curtin's high-pitched rattle don't mesh, and when they argue one is mostly aware of the 'literate' dialogue, thick with writer's ink. ** from ****
"Her Alibi", written by Charlie Peters and directed by Bruce Beresford, is a terrible movie, but you really can't put any of the blame on star Tom Selleck--he works hard at keeping this comedy from sinking. Romanian beauty, accused of murder, is freed from jail after a smitten mystery novelist (and his editor) provide her with an alibi. She moves into the writer's guest bedroom, but he braces his bedroom door with furniture just in case she really is a killer. Peters has an outré sense of humor, such as the disgusting scene wherein a group of people at a dinner party are encouraged to self-induce vomiting over the balcony after the suspect's main course apparently kills the cat! Most of the slapstick situations land with a clatter, while Beresford torpedoes the jokes by showing no talent for the ridiculous. Selleck's light touch is commendable, William Daniels adds a little pep, model Paulina Porizkova is placid but pretty, and Beresford stages a nice scene in the rain. Otherwise, "Her Alibi" needed funnier people behind the camera--and maybe another run through the word processor. *1/2 from ****